Millicent Fawcett

A statue has just been unveiled in parliament square of Miillicent Fawcett who was just one of a number of women involved in changing the law to allow all women to vote.

Perhaps the name known to most people is Emmeline Pankhurst.

The women who were most active in the various movements trying to change the law were usually well educated and from middle or upper class backgrounds but was their intention to get votes for all women or just certain groups of women ?

Most of these middle or upper class women would have had servants or maids to do the menial tasks, so would it have been in their interest to allow these women the vote as they would be unlikely to vote for the same party.

Re: Millicent Fawcett

At the time, when both Emmiline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett were active, most men didn't have the vote, so I suspect that the thought of their servants having the vote wouldn't have entered their minds.

Re: Millicent Fawcett

I don't suppose it was driven by a desire to have votes for all as much as equal rights for women that by circumstance were able to take advantage of them such as the educated, intellectual and well heeled set. Like most men at the time I suspect they thought it was rather daft that all women should have the vote in pretty much the same way as equal rights for all men was once unthinkable.

How times change eh with women now just as likely not to vote as men!

Just a thought - apparently, less women than men voted for UKIP. I wonder if that was reflected in the vote for Brexit?

Re: Millicent Fawcett

Well trouble makers or not, history is littered with countless examples of men agitating for political reform from Ireland north and south right through and from the time of Peterloo with people in their thousands literally demanding parliamentary reform and representation - and paying a terrible price for it.

Of course women fought hard and long for the vote and taking nothing away, nowhere near as much as men determined workhouse or no in order to have their voices heard.